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Isaac Herzog appoints Netanyahu’s rival to form Israel’s new government

Raluca Ioana Draghici

8 November 2026, 05:18

International

Gadi Eisenkot, fost șef al armatei și lider al partidului Yashar / shutterstock.com

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Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, entrusted Gadi Eisenkot, former army chief and leader of the Yashar party, on Saturday with the task of forming the new government, after he secured the recommendation of the majority of the lawmakers consulted. Eisenkot was backed by 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members.

Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, received the support of 46 lawmakers, while another seven recommended no candidate. The official ceremony entrusting him with the mandate is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, at 5:00 p.m., at the presidential residence.

In the October 27 parliamentary elections, Likud won 27 seats, the most, but Netanyahu failed to form a majority. His negotiations were affected by the refusal of the United Torah Judaism party, which has seven seats and is calling for a law exempting religious school students from military service.

Eisenkot also enjoys the support of the Arab factions Joint List and Ra’am. He has 28 days to form the coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension. Until the new government takes office, Netanyahu remains prime minister.

Context: Israel has entered a new round of coalition negotiations after the October 27 elections, with tensions between Netanyahu and the opposition

After the October 27 vote, President Isaac Herzog began consultations with the parties in the Knesset to designate a candidate capable of forming a government, seeking to avoid holding new elections. At this stage, Netanyahu called for a “national unity government” without the inclusion of Arab parties, while Eisenkot accused him of attacks on democracy.

Meanwhile, the traditional support of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party for Netanyahu has broken down: UTJ refused to recommend a candidate for prime minister after consultations with Herzog. The decision came amid disputes over the military enlistment of students from religious schools, and UTJ called for their status to be regulated before the party participates in a future government.

Eisenkot indicated that he could also cooperate with factions Netanyahu had excluded, but set conditions: among other things, he called for Hamas to be recognized as a terrorist organization that must be destroyed.